AllMovie

This British documentary is a record of the 1957-58 Antarctic expedition of Sir Vivian Fuchs and Sir Edmund Hillary. In contrast to the crisp color photography of these latter-day polar excursions, editor Dennis Gurney includes vintage black-and-white clips of the earlier (and less successful) Scott and Shackleton expeditions. Emphasis is made on the adaptability of the Fuchs and Hillary teams as they create for themselves a "home away from home" in the icy wastes. The miles and miles of footage shot during this 18-month expedition was brilliantly distilled to 4-and-a-half reels by the resourceful Gurney. For once, the voiceover narration is not intrusive, backing off from time to time to allow the images to speak for themselves.